


woah! sanders with no sides!

by tooby



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, Arguing, Child Abandonment, Family Issues, Gen, Guilt, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Sister-Sister Relationship, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25006423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooby/pseuds/tooby
Summary: as you've read in the additional tags, this story will have some heavy subject matters, so be warnedThomas has trouble sleeping because his sides keep arguing over something trivial. He wishes for a free day, a free day without any of his sides to bother him. You know, like a vacation.Lucky for him, he gets his wish. The sides are scattered around the world for a day, assigned to one individual that they have to take care of.If they fail, sucks for them, if they dont, yay they have a new bond!
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Everyone & Everyone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> cant believe I took a great concept and I fucked it all up! sorry im bad at writing but... yknow...... enjoy I guess....

It all started with an argument over something small. It always started with something small, it seems.

Of course, that didn't go well and ended with the usual slamming of doors. That's how every argument ended, even if there was a third or fourth party to help reach a compromise.

Though, for the sake of making this fic long enough to my liking, I'll show the argument. You're welcome.

~~  **_flashback_ ** ~~

_ Roman grumbled, sorting through all the crazy and non-crazy ideas he had. _

_ He should've done this sooner, really. Now, he was forced to do it at the command of Logan. _

_ Seriously, why was that guy so… Serious about everything? He knew he was… Logic, but even Logic should be able to calm down on all of the work sometimes. The only reason Roman listened to him this time was because Patton was there to plead him into doing it. _

_ There was a reason he didn't like doing this stuff. Because why would he be getting rid of all these fantastic ideas? He personally cherishes every idea he has, he values them as  _ **_important._ **

_ But apparently Logan didn't, since that snob wrote a set of rules that Roman had to consider while sifting through his creative mess. _

_ What he was doing right now was throwing away crazy ideas that might get Thomas hurt and accepting non-crazy ones and putting them in jars… You know, to organize better. He turned his 'good' ideas into pieces of paper, folding them up and slipping them into Mason jars. _

_ It physically hurt Roman to vanish any idea that was deemed 'bad' in Logan's perspective. I mean, come on, climbing on top of a tower and belting Disney lyrics at the top of your voice isn't all  _ **_that_ ** _ bad. _

_ Roman stretched out and sighed. He'd been doing this for  _ **_hours_ ** _ (30 minutes), and he wasn't really used to using this much of his abnormal mind powers in one sitting. _

_ "You know, you can stop at any time." Remus's voice called out, sprawled out on the prince's bed while he threw a decapitated human head in the air, catching it with only one hand and repeating the process. " _ _ I've already given up!" _

_ "That's because  _ **_all_ ** _ your ideas are bad," Roman groaned, not phased by the sudden appearance from his brother. Though, he was phased by the human head he was carelessly bouncing around. "If you get blood anywhere, I will personally hack your head off with my sword." _

_ "Ooh!" Remus chuckled, vanishing the head and the blood that came along with it. "Maybe all this repressed anger you've got really  _ **_is_ ** _ turning you into me!" _

_ Roman frowned, glaring at Remus. _

_ Remus didn't mind. He continued. "And not  _ **_all_ ** _ of my ideas were bad. I have like, one or two in a jar. They don't involve blood or sex! Isn't that cool?" _

_ "What?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "Let me see." _

_ Remus shrugged, summoning his jar (which actually had a few ideas in it, bravo dude!) and tossing it over to his brother. _

_ Roman easily caught it and opened the jar, making one of Remus's ideas float into his hand. He unfolded the paper, skimming through the messily written words. _

_ He was silent for a few moments. He looked back over to Remus, storing the idea back in the jar and shutting the lid. "I didn't know you could make stuff like this," He tossed the jar back to his opposite, who just vanished it. "That's surprisingly… Deep." _

_ "Just because I'm nasty doesn't mean I'm not creativity!" Remus's voice pitched a little higher due to the praise. He flopped back down on the bed with a sigh. "Besides, its usually me that comes up with the dark and deep plots you see in Thomas's videos." _

_ Roman hummed. "You still suck, though." _

_ "Agreed." _

_ The door suddenly swung open, alarming both of the sides. Roman with a high pitched scream, and Remus with a dog-like yelp. _

_ " _ **_What_ ** _ are you two doing?" _

_ "Ooh! It's the sexiest character other than me!" Remus clapped his hands. "Hi, Logan!~" _

_ Logan straightened his tie at the praise. "Hello, Remus. Answer my question." _

_ "Ugh!" Roman threw his head back, a massive snarl twisting his face. _

_ "What do you want, Microsoft turd? We're doing what you asked. There's nothing to get fussy over." _

_ "Fussy?" Logan scoffed. "I am not  _ **_fussy_ ** _. I am merely coming here to tell you to finish this project tomorrow" _

_ "Finish this project? Tomorrow?" Roman laughed. "You literally told us this needs to get done  _ **_today_ ** _!" _

_ "Thomas needs to sleep. I did not realize how your project also affected Thomas." The logistical side pushed up his glasses. _

_ "Then it's your fault for making me start this bullshit anyway!" Roman threw his hands in the air, spinning around in his spinny chair. _

_ Logan gasped. "I did not cause anything!" _

_ Remus watched from the sidelines, smiling at the two sides violently arguing. He even had the popcorn, which he popped into his mouth every so often. _

_ Though, after a few minutes of this, he was getting bored. Time to summon some entertainment! _

_ Remus shoved his arm up, summoning the only person that could be awake at this hour. _

_ His beloved emo! _

_ Virgil gasped as he appeared in the air, immediately flailing his arms to break his fall. _

_ He clutched the towel that was currently wrapped around his.. nether regions, eyes wide with something akin to panic. _

_ Remus's mouth formed an 'o' shape at the sight. "Uh oh! Did I interrupt Virgey's little fun-time?" He cackled. "My dearest apologies!" _

_ Virgil's face heated up when he realized where he was. "Remus…" He sighed, snapping his fingers. When he did, his normal clothes appeared on him, but the dampness on his hair remained. "Let's never speak of this again." _

_ " _ **_Not_ ** _ agreed." Remus grinned. _

_ Virgil growled. "Of course…" He rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets and scanning the room around him. "Why am in Princey's room? Why are  _ **_you_ ** _ in Princey's room? What's going on?" _

_ "Oh, that's not important right now," Remus waved his hand to dismiss the topic. Just when Virgil is about to argue with him, he continued. _

_ "Those two have their balls in a twist, they've been going at it for like… A long time." He pointed to Roman and Logan, still arguing with each other. _

_ Virgil glanced over at the pair, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight. "And they… Dont notice us?" _

_ "I guess not." Remus shrugged. "I pulled you in for entertainment, now give me some!" _

_ "Shut up," Virgil growled, realizing that Remus only pulled him in to solve the dispute. That was surprising… The Duke? Wanting to solve an  _ **_argument_ ** _? He wouldn't be surprised if the nasty rat was actually Deceit in disguise. _

_ The anxious side walked over to the couple arguing, frowning. _

_ "Alright, break it up, get out of each other's faces." Virgil shoved the two away from each other. "Time to kiss and make up." _

_ "Virgil!" Roman exclaimed, dramatically stumbling away from Logan. Once he found his balance again, he struck a pose, placing a hand on his hip and a hand in the air. " _ **_What_ ** _ are you doing in my room? You do know what happens if you stay in here for too long, right?" _

_ "This has to be a joke." Logan bared his teeth. "You care for his mental state and not mine? Favoritism!" _

_ "What? Do you honestly expect me to suck up to you when  _ **_you're_ ** _ the one who forced  _ **_me_ ** _ to do this work in the  _ **_first place_ ** _?!" Roman dramatically announced, moving his arms as to emphasize every single vowel of every single word he just said. "When were you so obsessed with attention?!" _

_ Virgil tried to interject once more. "Uh-" _

_ "I am not obsessed with attention. In fact, according to my calculations,  _ **_you're_ ** _ the one that gets overly insecure whenever somebody does not pay attention to you." Logan spat. "You're just being a jerk." _

_ "And  _ **_you're_ ** _ doing any better?!" Roman yelled. "You just called me a jerk!" _

_ "I did not say I was doing any better." The logical side simply stated. He turned to Virgil, who honestly looked like he could pass out at any moment. "Did I say I was doing better?" _

_ Virgil was about to answer, but Logan cut him off quickly, turning back to the infuriated prince. "I'd say you just like to start arguments." _

_ "Guys…" Virgil started to chew at his nail. _

_ "I do  _ **_not_ ** _ like to start arguments!" _

_ "We could stop this at any time if you just act a little bit more mature, Roman." _

_ "Ugh! You're really testing my patience today, teach." _

_ Virgil shut his eyes tightly, rubbing at them in hopes that the growing headache that was starting to form would fade away. _

_ Once he opened his eyes, he turned to Remus, who looked just as frustrated. _

_ To anybody else, it would look like Remus was entertained. But these two know each other, and it's convenient for the plot, so shut up. _

_ " _ **_Guys!_ ** _ "  _

_ Roman and Logan instantly quit their bickering, turning to the anxious side with surprise. Virgil hardly used his 'scary voice', but when he did, it really scared the absolute shit out of the others around him. _

_ It took a few moments of silence for Virgil to realize that his voice was heard. He gulped, shrinking down when six pairs of eyes were piercing through his body. _

_ "... Glad that worked, I guess." He muttered to himself, shimmying a bit to get more comfortable. _

_ "Can't you two just realize you're both wrong and be done with it?" _

_ "I'm not wrong!" The two said in unison, staring at Virgil in disbelief. _

_ "I can never be wrong," Logan followed up, fixing his tie. "I am Logic." _

_ "Who cares?" Virgil threw his arm up carelessly, tilting his head as he stared into space. "Just accept that you might be wrong this time. Thomas is trying to sleep, and you two are keeping him awake." _

_ More silence followed. Uncomfortable silence, might I add. _

_ "Yeah, I agree with Big Dick Goth over here," Remus spoke up. "Even if I  _ **_love_ ** _ keeping Thomas up all night with my horrible thoughts, you guys are getting kinda annoying." _

_ "Wha-" Roman sputtered. He looked at Virgil and Remus several times, before settling his gaze on Virgil. "You're siding with  _ **_Remus_ ** _?! I thought you hated him!" _

_ "I still hate him and I'm not siding with anyone," The anxious side quickly said, shoving his hands into his pockets once more. "All I'm saying is that you two need to quit acting like toddlers and come to a reasonable compromise." _

_ "A reasonable compromise?" The prince repeated, stepping back and letting out a bark of sarcastic laughter. He threw his hands in the air for the umpteenth time. "A reasonable compromise! Says the guy who's job is literally trying to get us to do the opposite of that!" He shoved his arm in Virgil's direction, as if he were presenting him as a project. _

_ Virgil blinked, furrowing his eyebrows in anger. "I… Okay," _

_ "Insulting Virgil is going to get us nowhere." _

_ "He just called you stupid! You should be on my side right now!" _

_ "I did not call Logan stupid!" _

_ "Well, you called him a toddler!  _ **_Jason_ ** _ toddler!" _

_ "What does that even mean?!"  _

_ "It means I called you a goddamn toddler, you toddler!" _

_ "Well, now I see that the  _ **_both_ ** _ of you are acting like idiots. It was foolish of me to even consider arguing with such small brains." _

_ "You're not making this any better, Logan!" _

_ The three sides began to argue even more, pointing fingers and even pointing out past mistakes that weren't relevant to the conversation at all. _

_ Anything for them to win the argument, I suppose. _

_ Remus groaned, flopping back down on the bed. It might be better for him to join the argument, since he could easily win with his… Intrusive thoughts power… Or whatever. _

_ Though, that seemed boring. This was boring. _

**_I just want to get away from all the sides's argument's for once._ **

_ ~~  _ **_back to the real world_ ** _ ~~ _

Thomas sighed, burrowing further into his pillow. He couldn't get any sleep, not with the consistent stream of negative thoughts flowing through his head thanks to that violent argument. 

This happened all the time. Why was he so bothered by it now?

Maybe it was because Virgil was freaking out over something said in the argument. Or maybe Remus just wanted to keep him from sleeping. For fun!

_ I can't deal with this anymore, I need sleep. _ Thomas whined, pressing his face further against his pillow and shutting his eyes. Hopefully he'd be able to nab enough sleep to be able to function for the day.

_ Just one day, that's all I ask. One day away from the sides' bickering. One free day I can have for myself. Just one, please.  _

_ Please.. _


	2. Patton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> patton meets this annoying ass kid. throughout the day, he starts to see the reasons why the kid was so annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooo this is the chapter where child abuse comes into play, so I'm gonna out a few tw warnings
> 
> tw  
> \- mentions of abandonment  
> \- mentions of child abuse (not detailed)  
> \- mean words  
> \- probably unsymp Patton? i mean, it's just him being annoyed and done with the world's shit... just a warning for that!  
> \- panic attack 
> 
> and that's it! please be safe reading this chapter. heart emojiiiii

Patton opened his eyes.

He immediately noticed that where he was  _ wasn't in his room _ .

Though, it's not like it really bothered him all that much. He was used to confusing things happening out of nowhere. 

Patton sat up on the floor, stretching out and sighing with relief when he felt a satisfying pop.

Why would he be sleeping on the floor? I mean, sometimes Patton slept on the floor, but that was only at sleepovers. And days where he needed a glass of wine.

Oh! That's it, he just forgot! There's no need to worry about this new place, he's just at a sleepover and probably passed out after having too much apple juice. (... its apple juice, I swear. Look, sometimes Patton needs a day to himself.)

At this point, Patton just kind of accepted wherever he was without feeling confused. He's the heart, of course he's going to be confused when a massive change occurs!

Might as well just accept the situation you're in rather than ponder over it for a few hours.

The moral side hopped on his feet, dusting himself off with a hum. Time to get ready!

Patton adjusted the glasses on his face, since they kind of slid off his face while he was sleeping. All he really needed to do was brush his teeth and his hair, but he's been trying to treat it as a full routine.

He needed a full routine, it helped him with his habit of… Not… Getting out of bed…. Ever.

Patton's natural smile twitched at the thought. He'd been trying to get better, he really did.

But with all the sides' constant arguing and bickering? The only person he could spend time with was Janus. Janus was great, but sometimes…

Sometimes Patton needed his old friends.

Patton sighed, crossing his arms and looking at the ground. He'd successfully lost all motivation to do his morning routine.

Great, now he was starting to fall back into his old habits.

He was going to fall back into his old habits and disappoint Thomas. He would disappoint the others. They'd yell at him and lecture him and tell him that he doesnt know what's best for Thomas, and they'd tell him that he was stupid and that he'll never do anything right and he'll be sad and they'll hate him they'll hate him and he cant do anything about it because hes the reason why they hate him-

"Who are you?"

…

Patton blinked. Was that a little boy's voice? No, it couldn't be. Last time he checked, he had no children running around the mindscape other than his friends.

He slowly turned his head to the kid, raising his eyebrow.

The figure he saw was tiny. They looked almost certainly like a boy, the kind of boy that was nowhere near being a teen but also far away from being a toddler.

His hair was curly and unbrushed, bangs being split down the middle and framing his round face. It looked like he hadn't had a haircut recently.

His skin was pale white, similar to Virgil's skin tone in a way. If Patton didn't know better, he'd think that the kid was wearing foundation that was too light for his skin.

The boy wore an oversized light blue tshirt, complete with khaki shorts and white socks. What a Patton ripoff. 

Though, Patton immediately noticed that the boy was painted with bruises on his arms and legs.

The kid stood in the doorway, hand gently placed on the frame of the door. The boy glared at Patton, his gaze sharp enough to slice through an apple. Which honestly kind of freaked out the moral side a bit. "Who are you?" He repeated, a little more urgency embedded in his tone.

Patton jumped at that, putting his hands up in surrender and shaking his head frantically. "No, no, no, no, no! Y-You've got it all wrong! I'm not a burglar! I-I'm just…" He stumbled over his words. "I'm not even real!"

The kid frowned. "But you're standing on the floor. If you weren't real, you'd be floating right now."

"Ah… Well," Patton laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair.

"I… You're not giving me a lot of options here, kiddo. I'm not very good at lying."

He looked away nervously.

The kid blinked a couple of times, intensely taking in Patton's appearance.

In a matter of seconds, any previous ill feelings was wiped away from this boy's face, his untrusting expression replaced with a wide smile and sparkling light blue eyes.

He giggled, rushing over to Patton and grabbing his wrist, shaking it up and down way too fast for the poor father figure to handle.

"Hi, mister stranger! I'm so sorry I was mean before, I didn't even realize daddy had his friend over today!" The boy energetically exclaimed, still shaking the dizzied side's hand. "I'm Bryce, by the way! What's your name?"

Once Bryce stopped shaking Patton's hand so violently, he gathered his scattered thoughts and smiled down at the little boy.

So, that's how the other sides were going to play it, huh?

They thought he was too weak and too emotional, didn't they? So they kicked him out, sent him to live with a little kid? 

Well, he'll show them. He was supposed to be the father figure, so he can easily take care of a chil-

"Are you a robot or are you just stupid?" Bryce tilted his head. "Cuz it's taking you a while to tell me your name."

Patton let out a breath, as if the kid's words socked him in the stomach.

"A-Ah…" The moral side breathed, laughing it off with a push of his glasses. "That's not very.. Nice of you to say, kiddo."

Bryce frowned. "My name's not  _ kiddo,  _ it's Bryce. Are you really supposed to be daddy's friend? Normally he doesn't have friends as dumb as you."

"I am not dumb!" Patton gasped. "You know, it's not right to say terrible things like that to people you've just met. Where are your manners?"

"Manners?" Bryce frowned. 

Patton blinked in disbelief.  _ This… This kid doesn't know what manners are? What kind of parents don't teach their kids about manners?! _

His patience was really wearing thin. Usually, Patton would understand and move on. But… Right now, his mind was scattered all over the place. Literally. That's the whole point of this fic. See what I did there?

"Nevermind that," Patton cleared his throat. "I'm your happy-pappy Patton!" He pulled his hand away from the boy's and jabbed his thumb into his own chest, smiling so wide that it stung. "Your fun and loving father figure, here to help you explore your morals and.. Well, here to help you have a good time! I bet we'll have the funnest time that a kid could possibly have." The moral side chuckled, crouching to Bryce's level since the kid was so short.

Bryce raised an eyebrow. "That's an overly dramatic introduction. What are you, a tv-show character?"

Patton's eye twitched. He wasn't wrong. "Now, now, kiddo, what did I just say about being nice to new people?"

"Mm, I don't care," Bryce shrugged, smiling a carefree smile. "Let's go outside! I'm bored and you're here, so you gotta entertain me!"

_ This kiddo's starting to sound a lot like Remus.  _ Patton noted. "Wait just a second, Bryce. What about your parents' permission?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "You have to let them know where you're going at all times. You're a kid. It's dangerous."

Bryce stared at Patton for a few minutes, frowning. He shuffled in his spot, likely uncomfortable. "Why are you telling me what to do? You're not my daddy. You're not in charge of me." He complained. "Don't you have someone else to helicopter over, mister annoying?"

Patton's eyebrow twitched. "I used to." He muttered. With a swift motion of his hand, he swiped his glasses off of his face, now staring at the young boy with his fatherly-like glare.

(spoiler alert: he can't see shit. he's trying to look strict. i think it's not working.)

"Kiddo, I've had a rough day today."

Bryce furrowed his eyebrows. "... But.. you just woke up-"

"Ah ah!" Patton helf out a finger to shush the kid. Bryce obeyed. "It's my turn to speak. Anyways," He continued.

"I've lost several people who were dear to me. They didn't want me, so they kicked me out. It's as simple as that." He explained, wiping his glasses with the bottom of his shirt. 

Bryce glanced away, widening his eyes a bit with pity. "Uh…" He started, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, mister. What did you say your name was?"

"Happy pappy Patton."

"Okay, pappy," Bryce snorted. "The thing is, I'm a kid, and I want to play outside. I dunno what you're doing in my room, but you should probably leave before daddy comes home." He explained. "Daddy doesn't usually invite his friends over, anyway. So we gotta leave."

Patton raised an eyebrow.  _ This kid's dad sounds like a party pooper. _ He thought, sighing as he adjusted his glasses back on his face.

"Hm… Let's negotiate," Patton smiled. "You check around the house for your dad, and if he's not anywhere to be found, we'll go outside!"

Bryce thought for a few moments. "I have no idea how to negotiate! Deal!"

Okay, honestly, I'm extremely unmotivated to write this chapter. So let's just say that Bryce looks around the house, turns to Patton with no results, then they go outside. Again, sorry if this chapter seems like it's lacking, it's because my own Roman thinks it sucks and I should burn and delete it. Obviously, I won't do that, but it's a nice thought.

Logan's part will probably have the same writing. 

Once they were outside, the kid instantly sprinted in a random direction, meaning that Patton… Immediately lost him.

"Kiddo?? Bryce?!" Patton called, frantically looking around in search for the child. 

"Goodness… Thomas, couldn't you have dumped me on someone that  _ isn't  _ a child?" He grumbled underneath his breath, fixing his glasses anxiously.

Patton felt a tug, as if someone were pulling him aside. Before he could have time to react, he was on mulch, right next to a swing set that his (new) host was swinging on.

The moral side sputtered, completely and utterly  _ confused _ about what just happened.

He sinked down. He  _ sinked  _ down. That's what he used to do with Thomas! Though, he didn't sink… Into the mind palace. Rather, he just teleported next to Bryce.

Weird. He wouldn't have these abilities if Bryce wasn't his host. 

What's even  _ weirder  _ was the fact that Bryce didn't  _ have  _ a mind palace. He didn't even have other sides.

Patton couldn't sink into Thomas's mind palace anymore, they weren't connected.

"... Oh." Patton accidentally muttered out loud, frowning and looking at his shoes.

Thomas didn't just get rid of him. Thomas somehow transferred his hostship to a child, which meant that Patton was  _ Bryce's  _ morality now.

Thomas hated him so much that he gave him away to some.. Child..?

"Mister patty!" Bryce exclaimed, kicking his feet off of the ground to propel the swing higher into the air. "Hi! When did you get here?"

"I…" Patton sighed, hoisting himself up on his feet. "Dont swing too high, kiddo. You might get hurt."

Bryce ignored him. "I thought I left you behind. How'd you know where I was?"

The moral side clenched his teeth, brushing hair that had fallen on his face due to the fall out of his face. He walked over to the swing next to his new host, then sat down on it, holding onto the rusty metal bars with one hand. 

"I have teleportation powers." He unenthusiastically spoke, looking at the ground yet again. Well, he wasn't  _ lying _ .

Bryce gasped, slamming his feet on the soft playground floor, making the swing and himself forcefully stop.

He turned his head to Patton, his eyes wide with fascination. "You have  _ powers?!  _ You're not a boring adult after all!"

"That's rude," Patton huffed, turning to the kid. "You shouldn't just say that to other people, kiddo." His voice was low, almost as if he were whispering. It was

surprising that Bryce could hear him.

"Teh, I don't care. If they get mad at me and hit me, I can take it! Do you know why?" Bryce kicked his feet, smiling wide. "Because I'm right and they're wrong! I know they are! Also, I can take a few hits. Also, the cops will prolly come and arrest them for hitting a kid." His smile dropped a bit after that sentence, looking away so Patton wouldn't see.

Patton raised an eyebrow. "I… Kiddo, I don't think those people would hit you just because you called them boring." He chuckled, starting to kick his legs, too. "I didn't hit you."

Bryce did not respond for a few moments. Patton felt a pang in his heart. Either Bryce was offended by that or Patton was hurt that Bryce didn't respond to him.

The kid turned back to Patton with a careless smile. "You missed out on getting your butt kicked, then!" He giggled.

Patton hesitantly laughed along with Bryce, saying something to contradict his statement.

Somehow, Bryce reminded Patton of Virgil. It's a thought that almost brought the moral side to tears, but it's an accurate comparison. The sarcastic attitude, the uncontrolled youthful energy, the strange amount of worry he senses from him...

Either he's dealing with a kid version of Virgil, or he was dealing with something  _ much _ more serious. 

-

Surprisingly, it wasn't night. It wasn't even the afternoon. White clouds still moved through the sky, letting in strips of sunlight to illuminate the ground beneath them.

Patton wasn't sure if this was a parallel universe. Or if he was just in a different time zone. Probably the latter.

Right now, him and Bryce strolled through the town, despite several pleas for Bryce to go back inside and reduce the possibility of getting kidnapped.

Bryce only responded with; "Psh, I'm gonna be fine! This town is small, safe, and cool. Plus, I've got you with me! What's the worst that could happen?"

Patton didn't think he could handle the blatant disrespect from the kid. Sure, kids didn't really have a full grasp of what morality really was, but this kid just didn't  _ care  _ about being nice or helping others. 

He reminded Patton of Remus, actually. 

Bryce reminded Patton of a lot of things.

To make matters worse, the moral side had  _ no idea  _ how to control children. He should, considering he was a dad, but even then he's still clueless. 

"I want ice cream! I want ice cream!" Bryce whined, stomping and crossing his arms. Of course he had to be annoying when Patton was trying to figure out how to guide him in the right direction.

Patton deeply sighed. "Kiddo, I really don't think you should have ice cream.." He looked at the sky. It was… in the middle of the day. "... this early."

"I dont care!" Bryce whined. "I! Want! Ice! Cream!"

"Do you even have the money to get it?"

"Nope!" Bryce smiled, looking around. Conveniently, an ice cream truck was placed in the distance. There were no people in line for ice cream. Poor ice cream truck.

"Then how are you.." Patton trailed off as he watched the kid sprint to the ice cream truck. He groaned, running his hand through his hair in order to calm himself. Cursing underneath his breath, he grumpily followed his host.

Once Patton got there, he took note of how small Bryce really was. Maybe this ice cream truck was just huge. If Bryce were to reach up on his tippy-toes, he still wouldn't be able to reach the window of the truck.

"What can I get for you?" The man in charge of the truck asked, as if he already knew that Bryce was in line. The man was dressed in all black, his dark bangs covering most of his eyes. Though, when Bryce started to order, he swept his long hair to the left.

"A vanilla!" Bryce exclaimed, jumping up to try and see the man in the truck. 

The man typed some stuff into his device. Bryce turned to Patton, as if he were asking what he wanted.

The moral side laughed and shook his head. "I cant order, kiddo. Figment of your imagination." He uttered the last sentence, which thankfully Bryce didn't hear.

Though, that didn't stop him. "And another vanilla!"

"Wha- You-" Patton rubbed the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh. This kid just… Doesn't listen.

A few clicks and vending noises later, the man ducked down to hand the two ice creams to the boy.

Patton had to restrain the urge to reach out and hand the cones to Bryce himself. Luckily, Bryce managed to walk away with two ice cream cones in his hands.

The father figure immediately walked after Bryce, his eyebrows furrowed down with annoyance. Though, even if he was angry, he made no attempt to let his anger be known. 

He had a feeling that he would have to continue repressing his anger if he were to deal with a kid like this.

-

"Hey, Pappy," Bryce said, holding the two cones in his hand. They melted quite easily, streaming down his hand and dripping on the playground floor.

Patton looked over at Bryce from his seat (on the swings, they were on the swings), raising a curious eyebrow. "Yeah, kiddo?"

"Why haven't you hit me yet?"

Patton blinked slowly. He watched as the curly, blonde hair that rested on Bryce's head bounce with every movement he made. In that moment, Patton found himself carefully taking in each of Bryce's features. Fair skin, freckles that had been sprinkled everywhere on his body, the scars and bruises that blended in with the afternoon light. 

He registered what the child had said.

"What?" Patton knitted his eyebrows together, his hands moving from his lap to the sides of the swing.

Bryce did not look at Patton. The ice cream in his hands melted faster by the second. Small drops turned chunks. Chunks turned into thin lines.

His light blue eyes were dull because of the darkening sky, pupils moving ever so slightly to the ground.

"Pappy," He spoke again, his voice a little louder this time. "I did nothing but make you mad all day. I was annoying. I thought that you would've got super angry and punched me." He simply explained, swinging his legs back and forth, as if he didn't notice the tense air around him.

Patton blinked. He blinked several more times before realizing what Bryce had truly meant. "No.. No, I wouldn't-" He had cut himself off, afraid of saying the wrong thing. His eyelids slowly lowered, lips parting with pity.

"Bryce…" He mumbled, closing his mouth and clenching his teeth. "No, I would never… Hit a child.. Like that."

This time, Bryce did look at him. His sharp, unbelieving stare told Patton all that he needed to know. His lips moved, though Patton couldn't hear anything. By the context of the situation and the sneer that was starting to grow on the ends of the child's lips, he could tell that what Bryce had mumbled was not nice.

Of course. Of  _ course.  _ How could Patton not have realized this? 

The odd amount of bruises that littered Bryce's arms and legs, the slanted scars that occasionally showed on his thin arms, his messy room, the way he described his  _ father… _

The moral side felt nauseous. He fought the urge to dive at Bryce, wrap his arms around him in a tight embrace and tell him that  _ Everything's going to be okay. I will help you escape your abuse. You're going to be okay. _

How?  _ How  _ could somebody hurt a child like this? How could.. A father hurt his own son like this?

Patton took in a shaky breath, managing a smile despite feeling nothing but anger, fear, nausea, heartbreak, confusion, pity…

"Kiddo…" His voice wavered. "Do.. you think you could tell me who did such a thing to you?"

Bryce hesitated. Patton almost deflated at the notion. The moral side began to open his mouth to say something else, but the child spoke before he did. 

"My dad." He managed to say, tucking a strand of hair from his bangs behind his ear. His voice was monotone; devoid of any emotion.

Patton hid a trembling fist.  _ Oh, that motherfucker is going to  _ **_get it._ ** He thought, smiling nervously. At that point, he didn't know what to say or how to act. He couldn't just walk into Bryce's home and give his father what he deserves, nor could get on his knees and hug the poor child close to his chest. Like a real father would.

He wasn't real. A figment of his imagination.

Although, maybe he could use that to his advantage.

Patton looked around, scanning the area. One person, that was all he needed.

Luckily, his silent wish was granted. A middle-aged woman with a tan walked towards the playground, dressed in business attire and holding a suitcase. He assumed she was coming here to relax and get some of her work done, seeing this playground was fairly empty and peaceful.

She was approaching at a normal speed. Patton had plenty of time. 

She just had to be close enough to hear.

Pattom turned back to Bryce, who was staring at his melted ice cream cones.

"Kiddo, I'm afraid I… Didn't understand what you said," Not necessarily a lie. "Could you repeat it again for me?"

"My dad." Bryce obeyed, looking over at Patton in confusion. 

Just as the child was going to spit a insult at Patton, he continued. "Ah- No, um," Guilt glazed his eyes. "What does your dad do.. To you?"

"Hits me."

Goddamn it. "Who hits you?"

"My dad hits me!" Bryce yelled in frustration, dropping the cones in both of his hands and glaring harshly at Patton.

Patton flinched, but the job was done. He had done what he intended to do.

The moral side looked over to the woman, who was staring at the child in shock. She had just passed the swing set. Bryce stared back at her, horrified.

"What?" She finally said, her eyes widening with a horror that was different from Bryce's.

Patton smiled. This woman was the one who could help him.

Bryce's face paled. "No, I-" He took a quick breath, "You didn't- You didn't hear that."

The middle-aged woman dropped her suitcase, walking over to the swing that Bryce was on. "No, No, You had just exclaimed that your dad hits you. I don't… I dont think I could've missed that." 

"He doesn't!" Bryce cried out. He was shaking. His dad was going to find out. He was going to punish him. It was going to hurt.  _ He was going to hurt.  _ He didn't want to be hurt, he didn't want to be hurt  _ again- _

The woman's eyebrows rised and knitted together with pity, her lips forming a frown that indicated that she didn't believe Bryce.

"I… You cannot go back home," Her voice wavered. Her hand ran through her hair as she thought. "... I need to get you to the police station. I will not ignore abuse, even if you're lying to me about it." Her words were final, in Bryce's ears.

He still didn't believe it.

"He's going to hurt me," Bryce's voice broke, tears spilling out of his eyes before he could control it. He took in sharp, shaky breaths as he tried to word out his next sentences. "He- He's going to-" Gasp. "Find out- And- He-" He shut his eyes tightly, screaming out another sob as he hugged himself defensively.

"No!" He wailed. "No, No! P-Please don't let- him hurt me! Please! Please, please…"

The woman's eyes widened with shock, her motherly instincts taking over her. She dived in front of Bryce, gently placing a finger on the sobbing boy's thigh. "Hey," She softly said, staring at his closed eyes.

"You need to breathe. I'm going to help you breathe."

Bryce did not respond. He only hyperventilated, speaking gibberish when he had enough air to.

"I'm going to help you breathe, okay?" She repeated, beginning the practice process. Tap. "One. That's one tap. I'm going to tap on your thigh, okay?" A quick nod from the boy. "I'm going to tap on your thigh until you can properly breathe. Here we go. Try your best to breathe, you got this." The woman assured, smiling at Bryce. 

"Breathe in for four seconds." The woman instructed.

Bryce tried his best to follow, but he just couldn't. He was breathing too hard. He tried multiple times, failing each attempt.

The woman only smiled patiently at this. "It's okay, you're doing great. There's no rush. You got this."

20 minutes passed. Bryce has finally completed the first step.

"Very good!" The woman cheered. "Let's do that again. In for four, and then we'll hold that breath for seven seconds."

Bryce shakily nodded. 

15 minutes.

The next step took 5.

Overall, it took 40 minutes for Bryce to fully calm down.

Patton noticed tears trickled down his face when the exercise had ended. The exercise. Virgil did that when he got too anxious in the emo side's room.

_ This is not about me,  _ He thought, sending a grateful smile to the woman.  _ This is about Bryce. _

"You're okay." The woman assured Bryce, slowly putting a hand on his knee.

"We're going to go to the police station, okay? Then, we'll get your dad arrested and you'll never have to see him again. He will never hurt you again."

Bryce teared up again, jumping on the woman and giving her a hug. He sobbed on her shoulder, overcome with emotion.

The business-dressed woman gasped when the boy hugged her, but she quickly hugged him back. "You're welcome, honey. You don't deserve to be treated like that. By anyone." She muttered to him, stroking his hair gently and lovingly, which only made Bryce cry even more.

Patton grinned at the interaction. God, he loves happy endings.

Though, the ending isn't here just yet. It almost is, though. Just wait. It'll come soon.

The pair stood up, Bryce reaching for the woman's hand with a tearful smile.

Before he could, he looked back over at Patton, who was still sitting on the swing.

Patton smiled, and Bryce smiled back. 

_ … Oh, he's asking if he should follow this woman. _ Patton suddenly thought, his eyebrows shooting up. He quickly nodded, getting up off of the swing to follow them.

Bryce giggled and turned back to the woman, taking her hand. The two (plus an imaginary dad) walked on the sidewalk, hand-in-hand, comfortable silence surrounding them.

The woman had never thought to retrieve her suitcase. 

-

They were nearing the police station, the white lights that decorated the building becoming brighter by the second. 

The brilliant blue sky had turned into a beautiful orange sunset, dark clouds completing the respective aesthetic the sun had settled into.

It was turning dark. The day was almost over.

Patton didn't want the day to be over.

The woman and Bryce walked in the station, clutching each other's hands.

She was already making a speech about how Bryce had been abused, and if they sent him back home then they would be sued by… She pulled out a badge, showing it to the startled and confused officers that were on shift. She was a child protective services worker. Huh, that's nice.

The doors hadn't closed yet. Perhaps they were just built that way, to slowly close.

Bryce looked behind him with worry. He didn't worry if his father was there, he worried if Patton was still there.

Patton was still there.

Patton was still there, looking at Bryce with a caring smile. He was saying something and waving happily at Bryce.

Bryce smiled, giving a small little wave to his friend. He'd miss him. Patton was nice, but now he had to go.

The doors shut. 


End file.
